Receptacle or container storage means



Feb. 13, 1968 R. A. BLAKE RECEPTACLE OR CONTAINER STORAGE MEANS Filed Oct. 22, 1965 FIG. 1'

INVENTOR, Robert A. BIG ke Horney United States Patent 3,368,691 RECEPTACLE 0R CONTAINER STORAGE MEANS Robert A. Blake, 3115 55th Court, Cicero, Ill. 66650 Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,849 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-87) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Means for storing collapsible tube type containers including an elongated finger adapted to be detachably connected to a collapsible tube type container which finger is selectively insertable in any one of a plurality of slots formed in a storage rack to thereby support the container.

This invention relates to receptacle or container storage means and more particularly to a new and proved means for storing collapsible tube type containers for products such as toothpaste, hair shampoo and the like.

The medicine chest or other storage compartments found in the wash room of the average home of the average family for storing therapeutic and grooming aids is generally inadequate because of insuflicient size to store all the various products neatly and in such a manner so as to be readily and conveniently available for use. In recent years a multitude of products, other than toothpaste, are being commercially marketed in collapsible tub-e type containers. As a result, most medicine chests are cluttered and overflowing with many kinds of containers of various sizes and shapes and especially those of the collapsible tube type. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to alleviate the crowded cluttered condition of the medicine chest or other storage place used in most homes for storing therapeutic and grooming aids by providing a storage rack and means cooperable with the storage rack and collapsible tube type containers for neatly and conveniently storing the con-- tainers and rendering the products contained therein readily available for use.

A still further object is the provision of a simply but yet sturdily constructed storage means for collapsible tube type containers which includes a rack which may be secured to a vertical wall within or Without the medicine chest or other storage compartment which is adapted to cooperate with the collapsible tubes whereby the containers are disposed vertically and arranged in a row.

Still another object of the invention is to generally improve and simplify the means for supporting collapsible tube type containers so as to render the contents contained thereby more readily available for use and without materially increasing the cost of manufatcure of the containers.

Summary of the invention Means for storing collapsible tube type containers including a storage rack adapted to be fixed to a vertical wall surface and having a plurality of vertical slots opening into an uppermost horizontally extending edge thereof. The invention further contemplates the provision of an elongated finger having one end integrally formed with a collar and its opposite end provided with a lug having a length greater than the width of a slot. The collar is adapted to be frictionally engaged by the end of a collapsible tube type container so as to be detachably connected thereto. The finger is selectively insertable in any one of the slots with the lug thereof engaging a surface of the storage rack and bridging the slot to support the container.

The foregoing and other important and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention together with the many purposes and uses thereof will become readily apparent from a reading of the ensuing description in conjunction with the annexed drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a collapsible tube type container storage means embodying the invention;'

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan view of the collar attachment of the container storage means detached from the collapsible tube type container;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of a portion of a collapsible tube container with the collar attachment mounted thereon, a portion of the collar attachment is broken away to better illustrate the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like reference characters represent like elements throughout the various views, a portion of a vertical Wall surface 10 of a room, cabinet, or the like is designated generally by numeral 10. A holder or support rack 11, preferably in the form of an elongated bar made of Lucite or other plastic material, is adapted to be secured to the wall surface 10 by means of a suitable adhesive applied to the flat, outwardly facing surface 12 of each of a pair of longitudinally spaced mounting bosses 13 which are integrally formed with and project from one side of the elongated body 14 of the support rack 11. It is to be understood that the rack 11 could be secured to the vertical wall surface 10 by other means without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. As shown in FIGURE 2, the holder or storage rack 11 extends horizontally longitudinally and is horizontally laterally spaced from the vertical wall surface 10. As best illustrated in FIGURE 1, the uppermost edge of the storage rack 11 is in the form of a flange 15 which extends substantially at right angles to the general vertical plane containing the rack body 14 toward the vertical wall surface 10. The purpose of the uppermost edge flange 15 will be pointed out hereinafter. The rack body 14 is also provided with a plurality of horizontally spaced, vertically extending slots 16 therein which open into the uppermost edge flange 15.

The collapsible tube type container 17 includes a relatively soft body 18 having one end 19 frusto-conical in shape. As in conventional collapsible tube type container construction, the frusto-conical end 19 is provided with an externally threaded neck or spout 20. The screw threads have a relatively coarse pitch and are cooperable with internal screw threads formed in a closure cap 21 to close the neck 20. The constructional details of the container 17 including the closure cap 21 are conventional and form no part of the invention per se.

The frusto-conical end 19 of the container 17 is fitted with a collar 22 made of plastic or like material. The collar 22 has a generally frusto-conical, ring-like portion 23 which is formed with a cavity defined by a surface 24 similar to the outer contour of the frusto-conical end 19. The collar 22 also includes a generally cylindrical projection 25 which is integrally formed with and extends from the ring-like portion 23. The projection 25 is provided with a central opening therethrough which has one end opening into the cavity. The threaded. neck is adapted to extend through the central opening when the collar 22 is attached to the container end 19, as best illustrated in FIGURE 6. The diameter of the central opening in relation to the major diameter of the screw thread of the neck 20 is such that when the collar 22 is assembled on the container 17, the screw thread formed on the neck 20 is frictionally engaged by the surface 26 defining the central opening in the projection 25. It will also be noted that the free or uppermost end of the projection 25, as viewed in FIGURE 6, is provided with a radially inwardly extending, annular lip 27. The lip 27 is substantially V-shaped in section and has a diameter slightly less than the major diameter of the screw thread formed on the neck 20. In other words, the lip 27 extends radially inwardly from the projection a distance slightly greater than the depth of the screw thread. Because of foregoing details of construction possessed by the collar 22 in relation to the neck 20 and end 19 of the container 17, the collar 22 is assembled and maintained on the container 17 by threading it on the neck 20 until the under surface 24 of the ring-like portion 23 frictionally engages and grips the frusto-conical tube end 19 in a firm manner, as illustrated in FIGURE 6. The lip 27 and the central opening surface 26 being sized with respect to the threaded neck 20 in the aforesaid manner frictional forces are created tending to firmly attach the collar 22 to the container 17.

The collar 22 has an integrally formed finger 28 eX- tending radially therefrom. The free end of the finger 28 is formed with a pair of oppositely projecting lugs or tabs 29 which are substantially cylindrical in shape. As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the width of the finger 28 is slightly less than the width of the slot 16 whereas the length of the lugs 29 is greater than the width of the slot 16. It will also be observed that the length of the finger 28 is such that the lugs 29 are radially spaced from the outer surface of the container body 18 when the collar 22 is attached to the frusto-conical end 19 thereof.

The manner in which the invention is used is believed clear. The closure cap 21 is removed and the collar 22 is secured to the end 19 of the container 17 in the manner pointed out hereinbefore. The closure cap 21 may then be rethreaded on the neck 20 to close the container 17 in the usual fashion. It will be appreciated that the presence of the collar 22 does not prevent the closure cap 21 from properly sealing the open end of the container 17 nor does it interfere in any way with the operation of deforming or collapsing the container 17 to squeeze out the contents thereof. To store the container 17, the finger 28 is advanced vertically downwardly into one of the slots 16 of the storage or support rack 11 until the finger 28 engages the bottom of the slot 16. It will be appreciated that the lugs 29 bridge the slot 16, as best shown in FIGURE 3, when the container 17 is released. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the container 17 is easily attached to the rack 11 for storage or removed therefrom for use of the contents thereof. The flange 15 formed on the uppermost edge of the rack body 14 serves to prevent inadvertent dislodgement of the container 17 from the rack 11 by limiting vertical displacement of the finger 28 when the lugs 29 are in engagement with the rack body 14.

Once the contents of the container 17 have been used and it is desired to dispose of the container 17, the collar 22 may be removed from the expended tube by unthreading the same from the neck 20 thereof and readily placed on the end 19 of a new full tube or container 17 and utilized again. It is to be understood that the collar 22 may be made in various sizes to conform to the neck diameter and the contour of the frusto-conical end of the various size collapsible tube type containers being commercially manufactured.

The embodiment of the invention chosen for the purposes of illustration and description herein is that preferred for achieving the objects of the invention and developing the utility thereof in the most desirable manner, due regard being had to existing factors of economy, simplicity of design and construction, and the improvement sought to be effected. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the particular structural and functional aspects emphasized herein are not intended to exclude, but rather to suggest, such other adaptations and modifications of the invention as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for storing collapsible tube type containers, such containers being generally cylindrical in shape and one end thereof having a frusto-conical surface and being provided with an externally threaded, projecting neck, including a horizontally extending storage rack secured to and horizontally spaced from a vertical wall surface, said storage rack including a generally vertically disposed body spaced from and substantially parallel to the vertical wall surface, said storage rack body having a horizontal thickness smaller than its horizontal length and vertical width, said storage rack body having a plurality of horizontally spaced, vertical slots opening into the uppermost horizontally extending edge thereof; an elongated finger having a width ubstantially the same as the width of said slots, one end of said finger being provided with oppositely extending lugs, the common axis of said lugs being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said finger and said lugs having a combined length greater than the width of said slots; and means for detachably connecting said finger to a container whereby said finger extends therefrom and said lugs are radially spaced outwardly from the frusto-conical surface of the container, said finger being selectively inserted in any one of said slots with said lugs engaging the surface of said storage rack body facing the vertical wall surface and bridging the slot to support the container, including a collar integrally formed with the end, of said finger opposite said lugs, said collar including a ring-like portion having a cavity formed in its normally lowermost surface, said cavity being defined by a generally frustoconical surface conforming to the frusto-conical end surface of the container, said collar further including a generally cylindrical projection extending from the side of said ring-like portion opposite said cavity, said projection having a central opening extending therethrough opening into said surface defining said cavity, the diameter of said central opening being substantially the same as. the major diameter of screw thread formed on the neck of the container, said collar being positioned on the container with the neck of the container extending through said central opening of said projection and said surface defining said cavity frictionally engaging the frustoconical end surface of the container, an end portion of the neck extending beyond said projection when said collar is positioned on the container and the screw thread portion of the neck section disposed within said projec tion being frictionally engaged by the surface of said projection defining said central opening.

2. Means for storing collapsible tube type containers as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for detachablyconnecting said finger to a container further includes an annular lip integrally formed with the end of said projection opposite said cavity, said lip extending radially References Cited inwardly and having a diameter substantially equal to the UNITED STATES PATENTS minor diameter of the screw thread formed on the container neck. 488,351 9 Stock 248-224 X 3. Means for storing collapsible tube type contain r as 5 807,757 12/ 1905 Mnrtm 21187X set forth in claim 2, wherein said uppermost horizontally 865,465 9/1907 Wlulams X extending edge of said storage rack body i i th fo m 1,452,761 9 3 Roberts 248-108 of a flange projecting substantially perpendicular t the 2,938,315 6/ 1961 e 211-87 X vertical plane containing said storage rack body toward 3,118,645 964 Lewis 248360 X the vertical wall surface. 10 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

